7 Things You Never Knew About Courier Services
How much thought do you really give to the courier service that delivers your business’ goods? You might not be aware of more of the basic facts when it comes to your own delivery experience. Actually, though, there’s so much more to a courier service than people first assume. Here are a few interesting facts about couriers that you probably didn’t know before now:
1. It goes way back
We might think of modern delivery vehicles when we imagine courier service today, but the practice goes way back in history. The first couriers were the old-fashioned men on horses that you read about in fairytales. It could take days, sometimes even weeks, for a single delivery to get from one part of the country to another.
2. It was used extensively by royalty
History dictates that back in the middle ages, or roughly between the 5th and the 15th century, royal courts employed their own couriers. Their job was to ensure political correspondence could always take place. We’ve heard the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger”, and we can’t help wondering whether it originated from here!
3. Millions of parcels are delivered daily
It’s thought that in the US, nearly 200 million parcels are delivered on a daily basis. Nobody has yet created stats on UK delivery, but we’d imagine it was some hundred-thousand parcels per day. The majority of these are said to be business-related.
4. Experience matters
You might believe that anyone can deliver a parcel – but not everyone can do it well. Many parcels require safe and secure delivery, and in some cases, poor handling may lead to serious risk. Hawk Couriers management team have been delivering for businesses for more than 20 years now, and know exactly what it takes to provide a safe service that can be appreciated by all.
5. London’s Underground was once a post office railway
In 1987, the London Underground introduced a new way to transport parcels using the Post Office Railway, which was dubbed “the Mail Rail” by those who used it. The driverless underground system transported mail between sorting offices, and was inspired by a similar setup in Chicago. Unfortunately, it closed in 2003, and is now a museum.
6. It can be used for all types of delivery
There are hundreds of rules to comply with when it comes to standard delivery, but private courier services offer more leniency with what can and can’t be delivered. For example, high-cost, hazardous and heavy items can be delivered by our couriers. It’s important to find a courier you can trust to carry out such a delivery.
7. It’s a 24-your operation
Many people assume that couriers carry out a nine-to-five job, but the best delivery services work long throughout the day and night to deliver parcels to a customer’s convenience. At Hawk Couriers, we offer same day, same night, and early morning courier service year-round. You can count on reliability from a good courier service.